OVERVIEW: Usually CBS is known as the “cone of silence” during pilot season leading to the upfronts. (“If anyone even talks about what they like, they get killed,” notes one of my tipsters.) But not this year. My sources are picking CBS for the hottest development this season. Even those who think Nina Tassler has rested on her reputation are saying this is the best CBS drama development that she’s had in 5 years. When I last updated my reporting, Les Moonves had screened everything. Meanwhile, he like all the corporate network bosses are doing their best to whack down license fees before the network renews shows. (On Cold Case and Without A Trace, Les is in mortal combat with his old employer Warner Bros).

DRAMAS

UNTITLED NCIS SPIN-OFF (CBS-Paramount) is locked and on the fall schedule just as my sources expected. UPDATE: I’m told that Shane Brennan’s reps negotiated a killer deal so that now he will exec produce and show run both NCIS and the spin-off, making him one of the very few showrunners to run two network shows.

Recent Comments

How about a heaping helping of Alex O' and Three Rivers? CBS: Make the thundering herds happy...

Jess

6 years

I'm looking forward to seeing "Waiting to Die" if it makes it! Looks like a funny bunch...

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS-Paramount/Scott Free) is a female driven law drama starring ER‘s Julianna Margulies. I hear it’s locked and on the fall schedule already.

U.S. ATTORNEY (CBS-Paramount) didn’t have much buzz at first. But now that CBS has seen it they liked it a lot and it’s said to have a good shot at making the schedule.

MIAMI TRAUMA (Warner Bros/CBS-Paramount) is Jerry Bruckheimer’s medical show, and I’m told Les wants a medical show. But this may not be the one because sources say it was a “soft screening” and is in competition with Three Rivers.

THREE RIVERS (CBS-Paramount/Deuce Three) is looking likely to be the medical drama Les wants (and wants more than rival Miami Trauma). CBS liked what they saw. And the network loves star Alex O’Loughlin. Not only might he bring his small but rabid Moonlight fanbase, but he recently starred in a Criminal Minds sweeps episode. And I hear CBS Films just put him in the feature film Plan B opposite Jennifer Lopez. Insiders are betting this show with a 24 splitscreen feel will go.

THE EASTMANS (Warner Bros) is about a medical family so it doesn’t quite fall into the Les-wants-a-medical-show category like Miami Trauma and Three Rivers because it’s not procedural. “But a lot of shows have The Eastmans‘ heat,” one of my sources warns.

HOUSE RULES (ABC TV Studio/Mark Gordon Co) suddenly is getting buzz that it “has a lot of heat”. This political drama might be a dark horse to go in the fall.

WASHINGTON FIELD (CBS-Paramount) is from Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero and out of nowhere is suddenly getting real heat.

BACK (CBS-Paramount/Storyline) elicited first word that it had bombed. Then the news came in that Les found it surprisingly good and liked it.

A MARRIAGE (Bedford Falls)is a drama from Zwick & Herskovitz and has no heat.

COMEDIES

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (CBS-Paramount/BermanBraun) stars Jenna Elfman and is one of the two comedies that CBS bigwigs are highest on. It “went very well” and is considered “good” and “hot”. And Jenna probably pairs better with Julia Louis Dreyfus than Charlie Sheen.

HAPPINESS ISN’T EVERYTHING (Sony TV/Paramount/Tantamount) is the younger-skewing sitcom starring Jason Biggs that the network thinks could do well paired with TheBig Bang Theory. “The network is happy with the way it came in.” Good thing, too, because this is CBS’ biggest commitment and there’s a giant penalty. Five scripts are already in.

WAITING TO DIE (Sony TV/Tantamount) is the other sitcom that CBS thinks skews younger and could be paired nicely with The Big Bang Theory. But Happiness Isn’t Everything has more heat.

31 Comments

Anita • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I”m looking forward to Washington Fields and Accidentally On Purpose..the rest sound too procedural for me. I’m not the standard CSI/NCIS CBS watcher! I will check out Three Rivers for Alex O Loughlin, but I don’t know if it will be my kind of show.

Avon Brown • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Big shock that the NCIS spin-off gets a pick-up. Now let’s see them do something truly shocking and have Chris O’Donnell’s character die. Then they could replace him with someone like Jason O’Mara (who’s free now that Life on Mars is gone) and O’Donnell can grab a beer with Gil Bellows (whom O’Mara replaced on The Agency). NCIS:Miami needs a lead that you believe is this bad-ass undercover agent and Robin just didn’t fit the bill.

JD • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I find it hilarious that every year the networks are “very excited” about new projects that they seem to eagerly cancel just a few months down the road.

I’m not going to hold my breath to see which one of these shows – if any – will make it back on the air in Fall 2010.

Cindy R • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Please Please Please put Alex O’Loughlin back on the air!! He is such a huge talent and he is going to knock everyone off their feet with his Dr. Andy character. They just hafta have him back on my TV set. Fingers and toes are crossed.
Glad to see Richard Dreyfus back on the screen. He is a classic. Jenna Elfman too! CBS is going to have some killer shows to add to their already superb line up.

AC • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

“A female driven law drama starring ER’s Julianna Margulies.” Wasn’t that Canterbury’s Law? It didn’t work for Fox; what makes CBS think it will work this time around?

Susan • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

AC, I was thinking the same thing, but CL was a victim of the writers’ strike and was actually well written and acted. The cast was flawless and the premise quite intriguing. I was very sorry to see it go, and obviously, someone wants it re-done. I hope the new show resembles CL somehow and isn’t just another law drama where attorneys are the heroes that save the day. At least in CL, Margulies’ character did a few unethical thing because she realized sometimes the law and justice aren’t compatible.

Accidentally On Purpose is cute and surprisingly funny, will definitely succeed with the Samantha Who audience.

Josh Emerson • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I find it interesting that they’re looking for a comedy to pair with The Big Bang Theory. Where will How I Met Your Mother end up? Following Two and a Half Men?

Lullani • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I am hopeful that Three Rivers is picked up. I want to see Alex O’Loughlin back on weekly televison.

Martha • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I’m happy to hear Three Rivers looks promising. I’m not a big fan of medical shows but I’ll watch it to see Alex O’Loughlin, and hopefully it will be a well-written drama with lots of “heart.”

studiowatcher • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Heard the taping for the Adam Carolla pilot went very well.

SimAlex2000 • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Law. Medical. Family drama. Law. Medical. Family drama.

Makes me thankful that AMC, Showtime, FX etc. exist.

Good Boy • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Thanks for the buzz! I’m calling grandma now to get excited about CBS this fall!

What about • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

The Adam Carolla pilot? He knocked it out of the park at the taping this week..

sara • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

no ‘fish tank’? what happened with that pilot? does anyone have any ideas/info?

INterested Observer • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Anyone who read Bill Carter’s Desperate Networks knows that none of these CBS shows are locked until Les’ homeboy Phil Rosenthal weighs in on em!

twentysomething new yorker • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

What are people hearing about Adam Carolla’s pilot “Ace in the Hole”? I’ve heard some scattered praise, especially about Adam and Pamela Adlon who plays his wife.

Uninterested Observer • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I really hope Rosenthal has better things to do now that Raymond is over.

Dorothy • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Why is Julianna Margulies rushing to do another law show when her last one bombed? Surely I’m not the only person sick to death of law shows.

Dab • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

I’ve actually seen “The Good Wife,” unlike the rest of the comment here. It’s a great conceit: she’s the very likable wife of a disgraced “Spitzer” type, who has to reinvent herself in the wake of his disaster. Killer cast, lots of directions to take the character arcs, and very watchable. I went in thinking that I didn’t need another law show on the slate. After watching it I wanted to see another hour. That’s always a good sign! Not surprised to see it on the slate so quickly. It was a lock before the credits rolled.

FYI • on May 7, 2009 9:10 pm

Moonves and Rosenthal had a falling out awhile back. Phil no longer advises him….